Introduction: The Matchup

Labeled for studio work, the Monster Beats By Dre “Studio” and Bose QC15 headphones are best suited for MP3 enthusiasts, smart phone owners, and frequent travelers. Both pairs currently sell for about $300 online, and similarly offer high-performance audio, noise-canceling electronics, style, and brand credibility.

Key distinctions between the two are the effectiveness of Bose’s noise control and the smart phone compatibility of the Monster Beats By Dre. Those, however, aren’t the only differences that spell this Head-2-Head battle.

Labeled for studio work, the Monster Beats By Dre “Studio” and Bose QC15 headphones are best suited for MP3 enthusiasts, smart phone owners, and frequent travelers. Both pairs currently sell for about $300 online, and similarly offer high-performance audio, noise-canceling electronics, style, and brand credibility.

Key distinctions between the two are the effectiveness of Bose’s noise control and the smart phone compatibility of the Monster Beats By Dre. Those, however, aren’t the only differences that spell this Head-2-Head battle.

18 Comments So Far …

I have been looking for the highest quality nc head phones... so is it your view that the Bose is the best in the market place in terms of sound quality?

rmoog says:

Wednesday, the 20th of April, 2011 @ 6:14
pm

Soffia66 - thanks for your comments. I would say the QC15s offer the best noise reduction in the price range. Overall sound quality is a bit subjective; the Bose QC15s and Beats By Dre 'Studio' both offer great audio quality, but the Beats are generally better on the low end, while the Bose provide more even, textured mids.

Jed99 says:

Wednesday, the 20th of April, 2011 @ 6:18
pm

Beats by Dre are top notch!! Best headphones I've ever owned.

EDD96 says:

Wednesday, the 14th of December, 2011 @ 4:20
pm

Soffia66:
Both are great headphones:
Beats
Pros: Stylish, great sound mids and highs sound good but could be better and the bass sounds powerful but not muddy. Comes with a no tangle cable
Cons: Sound leakiing in these is a problem too loud, the noise canceling is above average but it is not very good. Uses 2 batteries
BOSE:
Pros:Sound canceling is very good, mids and highs sound crisp.
Uses 1 battery
CONS: The bass is mediocre, when it comes too loud it just becomes muddy and distortions all the sound in the music (only if music is listen to high like 90% or 85%), style in this isn´t special, they feel cheap
The victory is for:
Both
They have there pros and cons but both have there extras
I bought the Beats Studios for 260 while bose was for 320
People may say that sound in Beats is to overrated and that you only paid for fashion.
Let them say whatever they want, the one htat is listening good his music is you

someone says:

Friday, the 6th of January, 2012 @ 11:44
am

I bought BOSE QC15 and it came with two cables. One in normal plain cable and the other has a remote so the information given above is wrong.

Shawn says:

Tuesday, the 21st of February, 2012 @ 3:40
pm

I purchased the QC15's a few years ago. At first, they were awesome, loved em. However, the NC began to weaken over time and eventually, the RH side became staticy and quit all together. I took them back to the store and was told I could get a replacement for $90 plus shipping. After I made a sufficient amount of noise, that of which the QC15's wouldn't have blocked, they relented and gave me a new pair. Again, the NC began to weaken (My roomate complains of this now as well) and the RH again quit. I contacted customer service about this and they made all the suggestions which I again tried. But, they are definitely dead. Again, they offered me a new set for $90 plus shipping. I originally paid $350+tax so this would bring my investment up to $450+. Can't do it if they are going to quit. Both sets were well cared for, never banged or dropped. I can't recommend the Bose anymore, even though they sounded great at first.

Sean says:

Sunday, the 15th of April, 2012 @ 12:06
pm

Bose stink beats rock

Noah Neff says:

Sunday, the 15th of April, 2012 @ 9:41
pm

I returned my studio beats today for the bose qc15's. Couldn't be happier. For those that say that the bass isn't comparable. Go to your local best buy and do a sound comparison. The bose have a. Much better overall sound profile than the beats, they feel more comfortable know he head, and are light as air. I love the sound of the beats as well and definitely how cool they look. Style points galore. I was just taken back at he amount of leakage coming from the beats. Folks in my office would complain they could here Tupac F bombs 50 feet away. With these Bose QC15'S, nothing at all. Just won't regret this decision. I think both are comparable. If you listen to primarily hip hop, electronic, and pop music. Go with the beats, if you listen to a ton of movies through your ipad or laptop/portable dvd player, or a wider variety of music and sound isolation is the most important, go with the qc15's.

Matt lane says:

Monday, the 14th of May, 2012 @ 10:59
pm

My opinion Bose has been and still is number 1 in the speaker/headphone business and you get what you pay for beats are a product of monster so any monster headphones you buy have the same quality too and some are cheaper

Madison says:

Sunday, the 3rd of June, 2012 @ 7:48
pm

Just face it . Everyone who says beats are better doesnt really know much about music but about popularity and fashon. Truly bose deliver much better overall quallity and sound just beats have higher bass but much lower quality and sound in everything else. So if your looking for the best bang for your buck and best sound quality. Get bose. If you just wanna waste $300 to look cool go with the beats.

The Bose comes with a similar cable to the beats one with iPhone controls. The sound quality is much Better on the qc15 as well. Yes, the beats have deeper bass but deeper bass doesn't = sound quality.

disturbedboy says:

Monday, the 3rd of September, 2012 @ 11:34
pm

I agree with Chris but just think about it, bose has been around for a long time, and since the beginning have been devoted to bring you the best in sound quality, where monster is famous for making high quality cables making audio products is new to them.

Stavros says:

Monday, the 8th of October, 2012 @ 11:43
pm

I bought the Dr Dre studio. They are nice with strong beat. However, noise cancelling is not too good, unless you are blasting the volume. In long flights, they were not too comfortable. My case had a fabric loop that i used to hang from my back pack. It broke and when I contact bose (eventhough within warranty) they said that the case in not in warranty. I could probably buy another case from their eshop that will be available in Fall of 2012. I bought a couple of weeks the Bose QC 15. They are great NC is the BEST. They are lighter with good definition in classical and new age music that I like.
I also have an in ear Bose that got damage. Contact Bose and explained that they were out of Warranty. They sent me a brand new set for free. Bose after sales is Great. Monster/ Dr Dre after sales suck. I also have the Tour by Dr Dre. They went bad after a year. They offer no repair for the 180$ in earphones. :-(
Dr Dre looks cool but their After sales support sucks. Give them a call and ask them questions and you will get the idea.

Nick says:

Monday, the 29th of October, 2012 @ 5:41
pm

Honestly, I have beats studios and I have to say the bass is really good. I've never tried the Bose but i've also heard about there noice-cancellation. You should just go check them out both for yourself and see which one fits you. If u like to listen to hip hop, rap and music alot go with beats. If ur independant, your at work and you wanna listen to your music without people in the backround complaining, go with Bose. Once again I must say that Beats have incredible bass if thats what your looking for but if you want headphones with great sound quality, go with Bose. Recommend: Bose QuiteComfort 15...

Mojang says:

Monday, the 3rd of December, 2012 @ 11:10
pm

to be honest my friedns have beats and i bought souls to be different but after hearing the beats and the souls hands down i pick the souls. dont get me wrong beats and souls are both very good headphones but from what iv experienced beats have good audio but not great audio and in order to cover the fact that there audio isnt the greatest they just have really heavy bass and when you have that it makes up for your audio problems because you cant hear that much detail over the bass. as for the souls there audio just stands out to me because when first putting them on i was just expecting regular famous people quality headphones but really what i got was a very very clear sound. there base isnt as heavy as the beats but its close enough to where you can hear it leveled out with the rest of the audio over all its just a really balanced sound plus the souls have a high and low gain switch that makes them sound as good as they possibly can which i think in my opinion beats the pros out. in comfort there both about the same but the souls have a quilted headband and you dont think it makes a difference but believe me it does when you wear them for a while. as far as looks and features go beats seam more mainstream but souls seam more stylish to me. i hope this helps some people. *** MAKE SHURE BEFOR YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THESE HEADPHONES THAT YOU LISTEN TO THEM A LOT FOR A COUPLE DAYS SO THAT YOU CAN BURN THE HEADPHONES IN (BURN IN SIMPLY MEANS THAT WHEN YOU FIRST BUY THEM EVERYTHINGS BRAND NEW AND NEVER USED SO ITS NOT GUNNA SOUND LIKE IT WILL WHEN THE BASS IN THE HEADPHONES IS LOOSENED AND ITS ALL COPESTETIC IN THERE) ***

boby says:

Monday, the 7th of January, 2013 @ 6:30
pm

the akg k495nc have better sound quality than the qc15 and qc3 but not as good of nc as the qc15 but better nc than the qc3